Tuesday 24 January 2012

Tuesday Tit-Bits with KARINA BUCHANAN

Good morning on this wet and horrible day in Blighty.  Welcome to Tuesday Tit-Bits.  Today I have a new author on the scene all the way from Ireland.  Introducing to the Nook.......(round of applause please for) the delectable KARINA BUCHANAN....

So, grab something hot to drink, cuddle up in a chair with a blanket around you, and enjoy my conversation with the lovely Irish Lassie.

What book most of all sticks out in your mind?

It has to be Pride and Prejudice. Many moons ago, on my last day of primary school, there was a prize giving for all the school leavers. Everyone in my class was presented with a copy of 'What Katie Did' – except me. With no explanation, I was handed a beautiful copy of Pride and Prejudice, which I still have. As well as a great love story, it reminds me that my teachers saw how important books were to me at such an early age.

Indeed, what would life be without ever reading about Darling Darcy!


Who would you most like to bring you a mug of tea/coffee first thing in the morning apart from hubby?

Ideal hero

Who makes you stop and go Phwoarrrrrrrrrr

Without a doubt, it has to be Joe Manganiello. (Alcide from True Blood) he is just physical perfection *sigh*

I gather Joe would be perfect to bring you tea/coffee first thing in the morning.  He is definately a sight to wake up to!


What is your pet peeve when writing?


Apart from housework and the school run interrupting me, I also get incessant phone calls from those who think I'm not busy because I'm at home. I am trying to write, people!


What do you do when you have writers block?

I've found that a few days away from the writing to spend time reading someone else's work, usually gets the creative juices flowing again.

Be honest, APART from chocolate what do you snack on when writing?

Umm…biscuits…covered in chocolate


What influences your writing, is it films or literary works?

It can be both. Sometimes a character or a place in a film will inspire me to write but the WAY an author writes can influence me to dig deeper into my characters. A lot of m&b authors write such great conflict in their books, it makes me want to work that much harder.


Do you find it easier to write romance or erotica?

I write romance because I love giving depth to my characters. I wouldn't say it was easy but I do enjoy writing those love scenes!


Any advice for aspiring authors?

Finish whatever you are working on. I've lost track of the manuscripts I started over the years, then abandoned but I think you need that feeling of achievement when you complete your first manuscript. Even if it's not the greatest story on Earth, your writing will improve and drive you on to do better in future projects.

What is the weirdest book you have ever read?

You are really testing my goldfish-like memory with these questions Manda lol One that sticks in my mind, and I do think it was a Harlequin book, was one where the hero was a selkie. It was a long time ago, well before the current trend of shifter stories and I just found it odd that this hot leading man turned into a seal. It was different from the traditional romance I was expecting and I loved it. If anyone has a clue what this book was, please let me know.


Do you have a recipe that you could share with us?

Cooking is not my strong point but even I can manage a recipe for Irish Potato Bread. You can eat this warm, spread with a little butter but usually we just eat it as part of our famous Ulster Fry!

225g/ 8oz boiled potato1/2 tsp salt
25g/ 1oz butter, melted
50g/ 2oz plain flour
Makes 8

Mash potatoes well. Add salt and butter, then work in enough flour to make a pliable dough. Divide the dough in two and roll out on a floured surface to form two circles 22cm / 9 inch in diameter and 1/2cm/ 1/4 inch in thickness. Cut each circle into quarters and bake on a hot griddle or pan for about 5 minutes or until browned on both sides. Some people like to grease the baking surface, but I prefer a light dusting of flour to give it a drier effect.

And finally........could you leave us with a teaser

Sure! Thanks for having me Manda x




Daring to Love

Andrea Macleave is determined to lose her 'Miss Stuffy Knickers' nickname with a rappel down Ireland's famous Europa Hotel, for the hospital where she works. Risk taking goes against everything she believes in and it takes a kiss from her hunky instructor to send her on her way. With her wild side let loose, a one night stand with the action man seems the perfect antidote to her staid life.


Part-time charity volunteer, Matt King, hopes to put the disastrous hook-up behind him. That's easier said than done when he meets the woman in question at his workplace. There's clearly a powerful attraction between them but he's fighting his past demons by living life on the edge.

With each of them determined to let their past ruin their chance for happiness, how can an adrenaline junkie and a control freak ever make it work?

Excerpt

"I should have known you couldn't handle your drink." With the devil in him, Matt pushed the buttons guaranteed to re-activate his Andie.

A frown, a purse of full pink lips and she took the bait. "I'll have a whiskey if you're buying." The determination to prove him wrong blinded her to the goggled looks she garnered and the sudden quiet at the table.

He couldn't help his smile getting wider, the more irritated she became. "One whiskey, coming up. Jimmy give me a hand getting these in, will you?"
"I've a good mind to get you fired!" Matt hadn't noticed Andrea following him over to the bar. At the sound of her sexy, pissed-off voice, he slowly turned his head.

She stood, ram-rod straight, giving him clear appreciation of long, lean legs. They seemed to go on forever in those spiky black heels she had swapped for her trainers, even if she still had to look up at his six foot four frame. The figure-hugging jeans would bring a grown man to his knees but he would prefer to see her in something to better show off those pins.

The rose tint in her cheeks gave away her embarrassment at being so openly admired and coming across as a letch was not how he wished to be perceived. Nevertheless, he did enjoy throwing her off guard.

"You should be thanking me really." He wound her up and let her go.

"Thanking you?" She crossed her arms across her chest, drawing the V of her top down to give a tantalizing peek at her cleavage. "I should have you arrested for the way you behaved, never mind getting you fired."

"It got you over the edge, didn't it? You were so caught up, being ticked off at me that you didn't have time to think about what you were doing."

"In that case, turn around."

"Why?"

"So I can slap the gold star on your backside for a job well done! Do you seriously think that's a good enough reason for your behavior? Is that the way you carry on with all your clients?"

"Only the pretty, obstinate ones. As for having me fired, well," he backed his elbows onto the bar, "I do the charity rappels voluntarily. It's difficult to replace a trained instructor willing to work for free but if I caused you so much offense, do what you must."

Her delicious mouth opened and closed and he was assaulted with memories of tasting her. And how good it would be to do it again.

"Since it's for charity and all, I suppose I'll let the matter drop. Forget it happened." The defensive arms slackened and fell to her sides. With the thaw setting in, Matt impulsively stepped forward, to invade her personal space.

"Are you sure that's what you want, Andie?" If he could forget his rules for one night, she could stop pretending she didn't want him.

Instead of seeing the look of longing staring back at him, her pupils narrowed. "Where do you get off calling me 'Andie', anyway? My name is Andrea." She lifted the tumbler of the finest whiskey from the bar, knocked it back and stalked back to her friends.

Matt King never was one to back away from a challenge.


You can contact @karinabuchanan1 on Twitter or Facebook http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=100002715462350



A BIG thanks to Karina today for "daring" to call into Kook's Nook for a chat.  If any of you reading this would like to be interviewed for the Nook, leave a comment or email me direct at mrsajward@hotmail.com

Until next Tuesday......Keep it KOOKY!!!

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